Safety appliance



B. J. HOUVER.

SAFETY APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1920.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921 v E62 1 2 SHEVETS-SHEET 1.

B. J. HOOVER.

SAFETY APPLIANCE.

I APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1920. 1,369,893. Patented Mar. 1,1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' attorney TUNITED STATES PIN G FICE..-

BENJAMIN J. HOOVER, or MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI.

SAFETY APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application filed September as, 1920. SerialNo. 413,268. g

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J. Hooves, :.a citizen of the United States, residing at Meridian, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances, of which the following is'a specification, reference being had thereln to the accompanying drawing.

'The present invention relates to safety appliances for railroad cars whlch are equipped with air brakes, and the invention has for its primary object the provision of a novel and improved device for automatiwreckor other damage.

'A further object-of the invention 1s the.

cally applying the brakes when a truckwith which 'the device is used,-b'ecomes derailed or should the brake beams dr0p, wh'ereby to stop the train immediately, and avoid a provision of a novel valveto be used in the train pipe for bleeding or exhausting the fair therefrom in an emergency, such as the derailing. of the truck or falling of one .or-

both brake beams, and such valve beingof "novel and improved construction to render it particularly advantageous and efficient understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed without 'departing from the spirit of-theinvention.

. The invention is illustrated in the accom I the'truck ofa railroad car showing the pres for the intended purpose.

'-Another object; is. the provision of novel means carried by atruck for. operating the valve in the event thatthe truck is derailed e or one or both of thebrake beams dropped, the valve havingmeans cooperating there-:' with to open the valve in such an emerency;

With I view,-which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described. and claimed, it being panying drawings,;wherein Figure 1 is abottom-perspecmve view of ent appliance installed.

Fig. 2 is an-enlarged side elevation of the appliance, portions being shown in section.

-:Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the valve taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a longitudinal section ofthe: valve'taken on theline of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention, there is I interposed between two sections of the train theforegoing andother objects in pipe 7 adjacent to the truck, a safety valve CQIIIPIlSlIlgtllQ casing 8 having its opposite ends secured to the adjacent ends of the PIPQ'SGGtlOIlS, as seen in Fig. 1,- and said casinghas an'outlet port 9 extending lat- I erally between the ends thereof, and'preferably located-atithe top of the casing, as shown. A gasket 10 ofrubberor other suitable material is fitted withinthe port 9, and

the casing has an, annular groove 11 and flange 12 surrounding the'port, engaged by the annular groove'l3 and flange 14, re-

spectively, ofthe gasket 10, as seen in Fig.

4. valve member orcap 15 is carried-by an arm 16, which arm has'one'end pivoted, as at 17 between lugs or ears 18, extending from the casing 8 at one end,-whereby said valve member can swing to and from the Y gasket and'port 9. The member or cap 15 1s preferably'recessed, as at '19, to fit over the protruding portion of the gasket, and

forms a tight closure.

Alatch is provided for holding thevalve member 15 closed, and ,for releasing it in an.

emergency, to let the air escape from the train pipe 7 and thus apply thebrakes automatically in the Well known zmanner.

, je'cting from .the free" end of the arm16, which 1 arm; extendslongitudinally-of; the

casing, across theport 9. I The lug 23 is rounded" at that side engaged. bythe hook 22, whereby to press the valve member 15 tightly against the gasket,- and thus prevent leakage of air,

-The ring 21 has arms '24 and extend-' 7 ing radially therefrom substantially at right -angles with one another,'and. the arm 24 is tubular, havingfa bore26 for holding a detent, which, as shown,:comprises aball 27 within theinner end of said boreto engage within a recess or notch 29 in the portion 20 ofthe valve casing, when. the hook 22 is engaged' with thel lug .23, thereby preventing accidental rotation of the ring 21. 2A coiled expansion spring 28 is disposed .withinthel bore 26, and bears at its inner end against the ball 27 to snap same intothe notch '29,

- yet to permit said ball to be forced out-.

wardly into the bore 26 when the ring21 is forcibly turned. The. arms 24"and 25 03.11-

also be used as handles for turning the latch to engage the valve arm 16. 7

An angular rod 30 'cotiperates with the arms 24 and 25, to constitute a loop, asseen in Fig. 3, and one terminal 31of the rod 30 is bent at an angle and is screw threaded into the outer end portion of'the arm 24, to

retain the spring 28 in place, said spring beingconfined between said terminal 31 and ball or detent 27 A'lock nut 32 is preferably threaded on a-terminal 31 to bear against the arm 24, and the other terminal of the rod 30 is sprung into a notch 33 in the end of the arm 25, thereby ipreventing accidental rotation of the terminal 31 in the arm 24, and also engaging the rod 30 and arm 25 with one another.

A valve-operating lever or member 34 is v carried by the truck, and comprises a bar bent toprovide parallel lever portions 35 and 36, and a yoke 37 connecting the arms of said portions at one side of their fullcrums, and the opposite arm of the portion 35 has an upwardly offset terminal 38 projecting through the loop of the valve latch composed of the arms 24 and 25 and rod 30,

as seen in Fig; 3. The portions 35 and 36 i are located longitudinally below thesand stems 41 which extend upwardly I and through the plank 42, and said bolts or stems are secured in place by means of nuts '43 thereon.

' plank 42, of the truck, and are fulcrumed or pivoted between their ends as at 39, within the lower bifurcated heads 40 of bolts or I The lever or member 34 can thus rock or swing about a transverse horizontal axis below thesand plank or board 42' of the -truck, whereby the terminal 38 will move vertically to be brought into con- 1 lever or member 34 in normal position, and

tact with thearm 25 above or the lower horizontal portion of the rod 30 underneath.

A bow spring 44 is engaged intermediate its.-

ends' to one of the bolts'or stems 41 and its terminals bear downwardly on the portion 35 of the lever, whereby to maintain the permitting the lever to yield and swing in either direction. The arms of the portions 35 and 36extend under the brake beams 45, whereby should either beam drop accidentally, as sometimes happens, the beam in falling on one arm of the lever 34, would swing sald lever, and thereby either raise or lower the terminal 38, so as to strike the arm25 or rod 30, and thereby turn the ring to remove the book 22 thereof from the lug '23-. This would release the valve member 15, so that theair pressure would swing said valve member open and permit the air to escape, thereby applying the brakes, and

eavoiding aiwreck or. damage due to the i can be remedied, before proceeding, and;

.dropping of the' brake beam. The train would therefore be stopped and the defect when the valve is again closed and latched,

the lever 34 will assume its normal position due to the influence of the spring 44.

Should the truck become derailed, due to the spreading of the rails, broken rails, broken arch bars, or the like, the skewing of the truck would move the lever 34 with it, thereby swinging the terminal 38'sidewise, and either strikingthe arm 24 or the opposite vertical portion of the rod 30, which would turn the ring 31 and release'the valve member 15, so that the air would escape from the pipe 7 and thus apply the brakes.-

invention, 1

and a train pipe valve arranged to be oper- T ated by said lever when swung by the dropping of said brakebealn skewing of the truck.

p 2, The combinationwith'a railroad car truck, of a lever fulcrumed to the truck and thereon or by the extending longitudinally under the brake beams to be swung by the dropping of either beam, and a train pipe'valve arranged tobe operated by the swinging movement of said lever or by the skewing o'f' thetruck. 3. The combination with a railroad car truck, of a lever comprising parallel lever portions, a yoke connecting said portions and a'te'rminal extending fromone of said portions, means fulcruming said portions' between their ends to the truck with said portions extending under the brake beams, and a train pipe valve arranged to be oper- I ated by said terminal when the lever is swung by the dropping of a brakefbeam thereon, or when the truck is skewed.

4. The combination with a railroad car truck, of a lever fulcrumed to the truck and extending under a brake beam, a train pipe valve having a loop operable for opening the valve, said lever having a .terminal extending into said loop, and spring'means "for maintaining said lever yieldingly in normal position with said terminal within said loop, saidvalve being operated by the move; i 'ment of said loop'by said terminal due to the swinging of the lever or the skewing of the truck. 7

5. The combination with a railroad car truck, of a lever fulcrumedj betweenjits ends to the truck and extending longitudinally under the brake beams, a bow spring havingits terminals bearing on the arms of the lever to yieldingly maintain the lever in normal position, and a train pipe valve having a loop mounted forturning-move- ,ment to open the valve, said lever having a terminal projecting within said loop for turning the loop by the swinging movement of the lever or the skewing of the truck.

6. A safety appliance comprising a valve casing for a train pipe and having an outlet port, a valve member to close said port, means for holding the valve member in closed position and to release said valve member, and single means carried by a car truck and controlling said first named means and operable to release the valve member either by the dropping of the brake beams or the skewing of the truck.

7. A safety appliance comprising a valve casing having an outlet port, a valve mem her for closing said port, a ring mounted for turning movement on the casing and having means for holding said valve member in closed position in one position of the ring, a loop carried by said ring, and means to be carried by a car truck to be swung by the dropping of a brake beam or the skewing of the truck and having a portion projecting within saidloop for movement therein in various directions and to contact with the loop for turning said ring to release said valve member. 7

8. A safety appliance comprising a valve casing having an outlet port, a valve, member for closing said port, a ring mounted for turning movement on the casing and having means for holding said valve member in closed position in one position of said ring, said ring having a pair of arms extending therefrom at an angle with one another, and an angular rod having one terminal screw-threaded into one arm and its other terminal engaged with the other arm, to constitute a loop with said arms, and means to be carried by a car truck and having a portion to extend within said loop for movement therein to contact with and swing said loop so as to turn said ring to release the valve member.

9. A safety appliance comprising a valve casing having an outlet port, a valve member to close said port, a ring mounted for I turning movement on the casing and having a portion for holding said valve mem- -ber in closed position in one position of said ring, said ring having arms extending therefrom at an angle with one another, one of said arms being tubular, a ball in said tubular arm, the casing having a notch for theengagement of said ball, an angular rod having one terminal screw threaded .into the tu- BENJAMIN J. HoovER. 

